“There is a reason people say pressure is a privilege — it keeps you humble. Good pressure always helps you improve your game. A couple of games that do not go your way, you feel a bit of nervousness, and that helps you. It takes a lot of effort, but it helps your game go up. Those failures are important.”
It was a vintage Kohli show in Raipur. He timed the ball with precision and collected singles and twos with the same intensity that has long defined his batting. “Just my positions at the crease, not doing anything extravagant and backing my game. Picking length, hitting the gaps I can hit,” said Kohli after hitting his 10th T20 century — the most by an Indian in the format.
And yet, beneath the calm and after a record-breaking knock, there remains the hunger that has always driven the IPL’s most-capped player. “I just love batting,” he said. “It is an honour to be competing at this level and against the very best still. I give my heart and soul out there because it is going to finish one day.
“I want to make the most of it, and look forward to pressure situations, where I am feeling a bit of heat, and then I challenge myself to just go for it. Sport teaches you a lot. Even after all these years, it is the love for the game. I love hitting the ball in the middle of the bat. That joy is still there,” said Kohli.